California’s Child Care Facilities & Indoor Air Quality

Garden Grove, CA, September 13, 2013

Approximately 1 million children, five years of age or younger, attend child care or preschool in California.  There are some 49,000 licensed child care centers in the state with about 80% of those located in homes.

Last year, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Resources Board (ARB) published information from a study regarding air pollution and contaminants in child care and preschool facilities in the state. The Environmental Exposures in Early Childhood Education Environments Study examined air pollution and contaminant levels in dust in family-based child care and preschool facilities. This study, which was conducted by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley and completed in 2012, was the first comprehensive study in child care centers to measure a broad spectrum of pollutants including many volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), particles, pesticides and emerging pollutants such as flame retardants, phthalates and perfluorinated compounds.

Child care facilities can easily develop problems with indoor air quality because there are often many people in a relatively small space, there may not be the funds to properly maintain the building and quite often people may not understand its importance. 

Pollutants and contaminants that can cause issues in a child care facility include: particulates, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, VOCs such as formaldehyde, lead, asbestos, pesticides, mold, bacteria, environmental tobacco smoke, radon and allergens from plants, pets, insects and rodents.

“The University of California study found that formaldehyde levels in 87% of the facilities tested exceeded the state’s acute and chronic reference exposure guideline for non-cancer health effects,” reported Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager of LA Testing’s Garden Grove facility. “Poor indoor air quality caused by any number of contaminants can increase absenteeism, the spread of communicable diseases, trigger asthma and other respiratory issues, and cause uncomfortable conditions for both children and adults. LA Testing provides analytical services for a wide range of IAQ contaminants, including formaldehyde, to help identify and prevent exposure to these pollutants,” he continued.

LA Testing has sponsored a video about IAQ issues in child care facilities that can be viewed at: http://youtu.be/WebYxfmU-D8

To learn more about testing for formaldehyde or other indoor air quality issues, please visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com or call (800) 755-1794. 

About LA Testing and EMSL Analytical, Inc.
LA Testing and EMSL Analytical are providers of environmental testing services and products to professionals and the general public. The companies have an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies. LA Testing has laboratories throughout California to service commercial clients and government agencies as well as the general public.

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

EMSL Analytical

(1) 1-800-303-0047

jfrasca@emsl.com